The opening press
conference of the 3rd London Chess
Classic took place at the Olympia
Conference Centre, Kensington, London at
2pm on Friday 2 December 2011.

As tournament organiser Malcolm Pein pointed
out in his opening address, this is something very special
for British chess: it’s quite simply the strongest chess
tournament ever held in these islands. That is quite an
achievement for a country which held a stellar chess
tournament as early as 1851, to celebrate the Great
Exhibition of that year.

This year’s tournament is held under the auspices of the
Chess in Schools and Communities, a charity set up to promote the
teaching of schools in UK schools. As such, the tournament is not just
about the elite grandmasters, it caters for players of all ages and
abilities, with a general congress for competition players, numerous fun
events in the foyer for those trying chess for the first time, plus
organised tuition for the children.

Questions may be put to the players in advance to . Webmasters note, we will also accept questions from your readers.

All Twitter users will be challenged to a game against
the nine grandmasters competing in the strongest tournament ever staged
in the UK. The London Chess Classic line-up includes the world’s top
four players; world champion Vishy Anand, world number one Magnus
Carlsen, Levon Aronian ranked three, and former world champion Vladimir
Kramnik. Prolific chess 'tweeter' Hikaru Nakamura will be making some
moves, as will the four English GMs in the field; Michael Adams, Nigel
Short, Luke McShane and David Howell.

The game can be followed on @londonclassic and
moves should be sent with
#lccvworld.

Online entries for the FIDE Open,
Weekenders, Rapidplay and English Junior Rapid are
now closed but you can still enter on the day.
Spaces are still available
in all tournaments.
See entries @ 30th
Nov.

Please email if you wish to enter on the day. This will secure your place.

Entrants for the English Junior Rapid on 10th December
should email

An original composition by
Yochanan Afek.

White to play and win

Yochanan is an Israeli chess player, composer, trainer
and arbiter. He is the only person to possess international titles at
four different facets of chess, being an International Master,
International Master of the chess compositions, International Arbiter
and International Arbiter of the chess compositions.

The London Chess Classic will this year feature signing
for the deaf in the analysis room thanks to a combined effort by
tournament organiser Malcolm Pein and the English Chess Federation.

Signing for the deaf will be carried out by Darren
Townsend-Handscomb, one of the country’s most experienced signing
interpreters.

Says ECF Home Chess Director and Chess Classic
co-organiser, Adam Raoof: “When we spoke about bringing signing for
the deaf to The Classic, the tournament organiser, IM Malcolm
Pein, immediately offered to cover half the costs. The other half is
being met by the ECF under its remit to increase accessibility in
chess.”

Signing will be available inthe analysis room on
Sunday 11th December, anticipated to be the busiest day of the
tournament.

The 2011 London Chess Classic is now just a
month away - and it’s just got a little bit stronger. The
latest ratings published by FIDE, the World Chess
Federation, are the ones which will apply to the event.

At the top of the list, for the first time
in the history of chess competition, there are four players
rated 2800 or more. And it just so happens that these four
gentlemen are playing in London next month! Have a look at
the table here ...

The timetable for the third London Chess Classic has
been announced. The strongest tournament in the history of British chess
will be complemented by a chess festival with tournaments for all levels
and of course free chess coaching for schools.

The tournament runs from 3-12 December 2011 and falls on
two weekends so we expect even more spectators as well as more players
in the FIDE Open as amateur players will only have to take one full week
off work. It also means there will be two sets of weekend tournaments
and blitz tournaments every evening.

Viktor Korchnoi has agreed to come back again as guest
of honour and will give two simultaneous displays. We will have at least
one Women’s all-play-all.

There will be training courses for chess teachers and
for those who would like to become chess teachers, both organised by the
charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC). Since the last London
Chess Classic, CSC has expanded and works in 70 schools in 13 towns and
cities in England and Wales. See
www.chessinschools.co.uk.

27.11.11 - The updated
schedule for this year's Classic has been published here.

Special Events

24.11.11 - A series of special events will
be taking place during the Classic including a book signing by Garry Kasparov, a
Chessbase workshop, a special screening of 'Bobby Fischer Against the World' and
more.
Click here for full details.

Box Office / Tickets

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In 2010, 500 children came to the London
Classic for free chess lessons from GMs, IMs and top
chess coaches. This year we will be doubling the number of
invitations to schools and free lessons will be available on
five days.

See details about this exciting opportunity and photos from
2010
here.

Classic 2011 Entry Form

19.08.11 - We are pleased to say that the
entry form is now available. The main
festival events taking place are:

Schools are welcome to visit the London Chess Classic for
free chess coaching. See times and dates available.
Interested? Let us know by clicking here: chessinschools/ÄT/gmail/DÖT/-c-o-m-/
.

•

To see the full schedule for this year's Classic, including
details for schools, click
here.

New festival event

A new festival event, the London Classic Amateur Challenge (1
section: U160 or equivalent) is taking entries straightaway. It will take
place between Monday 5th - Friday 9th December. Note: To enter please
contact Tournament Director Adam Raoof directly on 07855 036 537 or by email
@ | Further details and
schedule.

London Classic 2011
announcement

04.07.11 - Chess in Schools and Communities
is delighted to announce that the 3rd London Chess Classic will be staged at the
Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington from Saturday 3rd December to Monday
12th December. The 3rd edition of what has already become one of the world’s
most prestigious tournaments will be bigger and better than its predecessors,
with more children’s events and an even stronger field, the composition of which
will be announced shortly.

There will be two extra rounds, as the addition of one
more top flight player to this year’s main event will make it a nine
player all play all. One player will sit out each day and keep the
spectators at Olympia and online, doubly entertained by joining the
commentary team. The field is complete and is absolutely stellar with
the world champion Vishy Anand aiming to unseat Magnus Carlsen, the
winner of the first two London Chess Classic tournaments.

A glance at the
Live Rating List shows that the Classic will have four of the
world’s top six as we are honoured to welcome for the first time, Levon
Aronian from Armenia ranked fourth in the world.

When players are invited to the Classic they always want
to return and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik had no hesitation
in accepting his invitation. He commented: “I am very glad and honoured
to be invited again to
London Chess Classic 2011. It is a great tournament in a great city
where I have some very pleasant memories.

I can sincerely say that it has quickly become my
favourite tournament and I will try my best to win it one day.” Kramnik
is ranked fifth in the world and will be looking to avenge his defeat
last year by US number one Hikaru Nakamura who has shot up the rankings
since London 2010 and is now ranked number six.

The English players will again be led by the UK number
one Michael Adams and former world title challenger Nigel Short. David
Howell, who surprised everyone including perhaps himself with his
stunning debut in 2009 when he came third, will be aiming to repeat this
success.

Chess in Schools and Communities is a registered charity which promotes
the playing and teaching of chess in state schools in England and Wales.

The dates for the London Chess Classic 2011
have been confirmed and the tournament will be held from
December 3-12 at the Olympia Conference centre in
Kensington. The tournament will change format slightly
with the addition of one more player, making the UK’s most
prestigious tournament even stronger.

Each day, one player will have a day off and will assist
the LCC commentary team both at
Olympia
and in the internet broadcast, making the Classic even more exciting to
watch.

There will also be five days of junior coaching, a
Grandmaster Open, and weekend tournaments for players of all levels. An
innovation this year will be a chess festival with lectures, teaching
and film screenings. The prize fund has been increased again and will be
in excess of €150,000. The lineup will be announced in May.

Malcolm Pein (IM), Tournament Director.

Chess in Schools
and Communities

Do you love playing chess and want to help others improve their
game? Or do you know little about the game but want to find a new career or
further your PSD? Then learn how to teach chess!

There will be a great opportunity to take part in an
introductory course for chess trainers in Manchester this September and at
Olympia on 5th December, during the Classic! The courses are run by Chess in
Schools and Communities, a registered charity that work in seventy schools
around the UK and were recently featured on BBC Breakfast.
Read more about
this exciting opportunity.

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London Classic 2010

Classic
Souvenirs

The London Chess Classic 2010 was a resounding success on all
fronts.

The
London Chess Centre is the only place to get official Classic 2010
merchandise so get your part of chess history now, while
stocks last!